Digital business and Open innovation in SMEs: Models and Factors

Open innovation and open web-based innovation platforms is an important development that can ensure access to new ideas and rapid market uptake of innovations. SMEs are at the heart of innovation in ICT. They play a vital role with their capacities to generate new ideas and quickly transform these into business assets. This study aims to investigate how the SMEs are currently engaged in open innovation in ICT by establishing the models and key success factors.

Development and Acceptance of Business Intelligence for Supporting Enterprise Knowledge Management

Business intelligence (BI) is now widely recognised as one of the top business priorities worldwide. Traditional BI has been focusing on the use of various software applications to deliver historical information in the form of dashboards or reports. The process is rather reactive and esoteric, thus limited in enterprise knowledge management. There is a need to develop new BI solutions that can offer real-time and flexible information processing and management. The process and function of BI should be proactive, pervasive, and capable of supporting enterprise knowledge management. The study may look into a specific industry, such as service industry, education industry, retail industry etc.

Strategic Use of Cloud Computing in SMEs

Cloud Computing is a new and emerging computing paradigm. The concept and applications of Cloud Computing have rapidly gained interest and momentum in the ICT world. Cloud Computing applications are virtually limitless, thus offer great potential and opportunities. However, Cloud Computing applications are still in their infancy and are mainly used in personal level. SMEs that have a smaller workforce, simpler business processes and less ICT resources can benefit from Cloud Computing applications. However, many SMEs are still unclear about Cloud Computing and its potential and opportunities. The study will explore, examine and develop appropriate framework for the strategic use of Cloud Computing in SMEs.

Supporting decision making using Business Intelligence Tools.

Making informed decision is challenge faced by senior managers in organisations due to volume and diversity of data and information available. This study aims to explore how BI tools can be better used to enhance the decision making in a particular context, such as: SMEs, Higher Education, Hospitals, local authorities, supply chain management, etc.

Enhancing SMEs competitiveness with Business analytics

Business analytics refer to a range of quantitative techniques and models for maximising business performance and optimising the efficiency and effectiveness. Large companies have human and financial resources to benefit from the emerging techniques and enabling tools, but SMEs appears being left behind. This study aims to investigate the current status of the business analytics in SMEs and explore how to further enhance SMEs business performance with better use of business analytics.

Digital business ecosystems for SMEs

To manage the challenges posed by the socio-economic and technical developments of the 21st century, businesses require new technologies, applications and services to enable them to work as networked knowledge-based enterprises. SMEs and local clusters are now competing in a global and dynamic market where they need more interrelations, more specialised resources, more research and innovation as well as access to global value chains and knowledge. The Digital Business Ecosystems aims to create ICT instruments together with collaborative practices and paradigms that support economic growth and include all the societal and economic actors in the process. This study aims to investigate the adoption, development and impact digital ecosystems in regional SMEs.

A study of the role and influence of organisational culture in information systems adoption among SME’s

The proposed study will evaluate a number of cultural frameworks existing within the wider literature. A model will be devised to analyse and study culture in the context of IS adoption among SME’s. This will involve examining how organisational culture influences IS adoption practices. The research method will be quantitative and qualitative in nature.

Managing expectations and benefits during IT implementation

The proposed study will investigate the role of expectations in achieving benefit success during IT implementation. A model will be conceptualised to explore stakeholder expectations and evaluate the importance of managing benefits and expectations in achieving successful IT implementation. The research method will be quantitative and qualitative in nature.

Adoption of any new integration technologies/IT (e.g. RFID, Web Services, ERP etc.) in SMEs

To study and explore the area of new technologies adoption and diffusion in SMEs.

Adoption and diffusion of m-commerce and e-business

Research has shown that firms using e‑business achieve considerable returns through efficiency improvements, inventory reduction, sales increase, customer relationship enhancement, new market penetration, and ultimately financial returns. So the aim is to study and analyse the pattern of m-business/e‑business adoption by firms.

E-government

To investigate issues related to technical, organizational, managerial and socio-economic aspects of e-government implementation, diffusion and adoption.

E-business supply chain management and related e-SCM Integration

Modern supply chains focus on the customer so that the supply chain needs to precisely gauge what a customer might want, how to package it and where to ship it. The internet supply chain is a means of communicating and doing business with suppliers and customers. Effective integration of an organisation’s supply chain can save millions, improve customer service and reduce inventories. So the aim is to explore the area of supply chain integration strategy.

The Impact of IT on firm Performance (IT Business Value)

Information technologies (IT) have a significant impact on firm performance at both the intermediate process level and the organisation-wide level. This research project aims to investigate the performance impact of the relationships between IT and other organisational factors such as strategy, structure, process, and/or culture. Typical research questions may include: how do IT and other organisational factors interact to create business value? What are the antecedents, moderators and/or mediators associated with the value creation process? How much variance of firm performance does IT account for? The research will be empirical in nature.

The performance impact of e-business enabled supply chain collaboration

E-business (EB) technologies allow many businesses to share information and collaborate on all levels to fundamentally transform their supply chains and make their business processes more efficient and effective. To be successful, it is important to understand for example what EB applications enable supply chain collaboration, how this collaboration is to be measured, and how this collaboration affects organisational performance. This research project seeks to empirically investigate the relationships between EB applications, EB-enabled supply chain collaboration and organisational performance.